The Grievous Ordeal
by Agent B Tiger
Summary: Perry's life is thrown into chaos when a note from an old enemy arrives at the Flynn-Fletcher residence, blowing his cover... again. Now he has to find a way to rescue his old host family from the clutches of the Alternate Dimension Doofenshmirtz, and avoid being turned into a Platyborg.
1. Chapter 1

Perry was watching Phineas, Ferb, and Candace play Skiddley Whiffers. Candace was winning, as usual. Phineas had a huge grin on his face, apparently enjoying her happiness. Ferb blinked.

There was a knock on the door.

"I'll get it!" Phineas called, jumping up and running to the door.

Ferb followed close behind and even Candace walked over curiously to see who it could be. Perry stayed on the floor next to the board game, but kept his ears open. That's when he heard a familiar voice.

"Hello, I'm looking for _Perry the Platypus_," said the gravelly voice of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz.

Perry's head shot up and his eyes focused for a few seconds in shock before he blinked the emotion from his face. His heartbeat quickened with panic.

_Wait, what's happening? How did you find where I live? What's going on?_

Phineas had backed into the entryway enough that Perry could see him again, and Doofenshmirtz had advanced into the house. Phineas seemed confused, but not afraid, as if he didn't quite know what to make of the stranger.

He shrugged as he replied, "Um, why do you need to see Perry? He's just a platypus; he doesn't do much."

Perry scampered to hide behind the couch, but the kids and the evil scientist caught the movement in their peripheral vision. Before he could get away, Phineas scooped him up and looked expectantly at the strange man in the lab coat.

"_That's_ Perry the Platypus?" Doofenshmirtz asked disbelievingly.

_At least he can't recognize me without my hat. Maybe if I can play this out right he'll go away._

"Yes…" Phineas answered slowly.

"Are you _sure_?" Doofenshmirtz narrowed his eyes quizzically. "How can you tell?"

"Uh, I'm not sure I understand the question. This is Perry."

"Well it'd better be, or this will be really awkward," Doofenshmirtz said with a suspicious frown. "Perry the Platypus? Uh… is that you? I—I just can't take you seriously with that look on your face. Maybe you're the wrong Perry the Platypus. Maybe there's another one somewhere around Danville."

Linda heard the commotion from the kitchen and came in to check on the kids. When she saw Doofenshmirtz she blinked a few times. She was obviously confused to find a stranger in the house.

"Who's this?"

"I'm Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz."

"Do you need something?"

"He says he wants something with Perry," Phineas replied as he sat on the couch.

"What kind of thing?" Linda asked.

"Well, I—I have a message to give him."

"What kind of message would you give to a platypus?" Candace sneered.

Doofenshmirtz rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly, still unsure whether or not the platypus in front of him was Perry, "I have this note right here that he's supposed to read. I don't really know why. It wasn't my idea. Actually, it was, but not the me from this dimension…"

"Dimension?" Phineas interrupted.

Now Perry was really worried. He began to squirm in Phineas's arms.

_Oh no, this is not good. This is really, really bad_, Perry chattered.

Doofenshmirtz from this dimension was bad enough, but the Doofenshmirtz from the second dimension was truly evil. He had actually succeeded in taking over his Tri-state Area, and he had ruled with an iron fist until Perry, Phineas, and Ferb had come along. Perry's secret agent cover had been blown when second Dimension Doof had threatened the boys and Perry had been forced to protect them. After helping the second dimension rid themselves of their evil dictator, Phineas, Ferb, and everyone else involved had gotten their memories erased in order to keep Perry and recover his secret. Perry, however, remembered the other dimension all too well. He knew that he never wanted to meet second dimension Doofenshmirtz ever again.

Phineas held the teal platypus firmly and glanced worriedly down at his restless pet.

"Perry, are you alright, boy?"

Candace continued, ignoring the interruption, "A note written on a piece of paper? Perry can't read. Is this some kind of joke?"

"I don't think so. The other me isn't really the joking type. He just told me to give this to Perry the Platypus and helped me find out where he lives."

"But you're not sure if this is the _right_ Perry? You think there might be another platypus named Perry?" Linda summed up.

"Well, I guess it doesn't really matter. I was told to give this to every platypus I met, just in case, so here it is."

Linda took the note from Doofenshmirtz. Perry had stopped struggling as Phineas and Ferb had petted him and tried to calm him, but he was still quaking in apprehension. Linda opened the note and read through it quickly. Her already confused expression changed to fear and shock as she looked up.

"I'm calling the police," she announced.

"Wait, what does it say?" Doofenshmirtz asked; his question was reflected on the faces of the three kids behind him.

Perry sprang into action and leap across the room while Phineas was too distracted to hold him back. He hesitated, hovering near Linda's legs and realizing that there was no way he could get the note away from her. He had to know what it said.

"Perry!" Phineas shouted as he and Ferb dashed from the couch to chase after their terrified pet.

Perry darted around the room, unsure what to do or where to go. Candace was standing by Linda, asking to see the note. Linda held it out of reach of her teenage daughter.

"No, Candace. Go get my phone so I can call the police; I left it on the table."

"That won't be necessary," came a gruff voice as the door was forced open and several men in black uniforms with guns the size of Phineas's head flooded into the living room. The Skiddley Whiffers game was trampled under all the feet.

Perry froze in his tracks and the boys finally caught him and held him between them. He recognized the voice and was unsurprised, but dismayed as Major Monogram came in last.

The Major addressed Perry, "Agent P, your cover has been blown. We're going to have to relocate you and take your former host family into government custody until this threat is taken care of." Then he turned and commanded a few of the soldier men. "Boys, take that evil scientist and lock him up in the truck."

Doofenshmirtz, who had been too shocked to say anything since seeing Linda's reaction to the letter, held his hands up in front of his body and began to back away.

"Wait, what does the note even say? I wasn't allowed to read it!" He called over his shoulder as they dragged him away.

Perry was still frozen in shock between the two boys.

_This is not happening. There is no way in the universe that this can be happening._

"Agent P, you're coming with us. Flynn, Fletcher, put down Agent P."

"Y-you mean Perry? But—" Phineas was pale with shock.

He lowered his platypus to the ground. Ferb's arms dropped to his side. Perry stood on all fours, his eyes still pointedly looking in different directions.

_No, it doesn't have to be like this, please!_

"Agent P, you can cut it out with the act. It's pointless. Hurry up. The faster we get moving, the faster we can get everyone to safety before that maniac from the other dimension attacks."

Everyone in the room stared at Perry. His eyes were blank as he sat up. Inside, his chest felt empty. He pushed himself up on two legs, almost oblivious to the gasps from Phineas, Candace, and Linda; Ferb just blinked. He trudged after Major Monogram with his tail dragging behind him. He waited until he got to the door to turn back. The family had gathered at the living room entrance and was still watching him. Phineas's face had betrayal and hurt written all over it. Candace just looked sad. Linda was still wide eyed. Even Ferb, who usually kept a straight face, had pulled a slight frown and his blue eyes pierced Perry's heart.

_It's just like last time. No, it's worse than last time._

This time he wouldn't get another chance. Perry turned away as he felt his eyes getting moist. He pulled out his hat and looked down at it. A tear rolled down his bill and left a small splotch on the brown fedora. He reached up, placed it on his head and tilted it down to hide the fact that he was crying.

Monogram held open the door of one of the many black vehicles that were parked along the street. Perry climbed in. He kept his gaze on the floor. Monogram closed the door. One of the soldier men saluted and held out a scrap of paper to Monogram. He took it, glanced at it, nodded, and walked around to the other side of the car. His face looked thoughtful as he climbed into the driver's seat, scanning and rescanning the note. Perry snatched the note, curious to see what had gotten him into this mess.

"Don't touch that, Agent P!"

Monogram grabbed the paper back, but not before Perry had quickly read it.

** _Perry the Platypus,  
__ This is Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, (not the one from your dimension, the other one). I just wanted to tell you that you are doomed, and by doomed, I mean I'm going to turn you into a Platyborg, just like I did to my dimension's Perry the Platypus.  
__ You and your little friends destroyed everything I worked so hard for. I will have my revenge. And with your help, I will re-conquer both Tri-state Areas! I am giving you a warning, because there is absolutely NOTHING you can do about it! I have so many Norm-bots that I can easily capture the three of you, and I know exactly where you live.  
__ I may be more merciful on those two boys of yours if you all cooperate. Otherwise, they're doomed too.  
__ Ciao!  
__ Your (future) Leader,  
__ Heinz Doofenshmirtz_**

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Finally have a new story! I'm more excited about this one than my first one! Feel free to suggest revisions and typos that need to be made. I've had it read through a few times, but we might have missed something.**

**Comments?**


	2. Chapter 2

Perry was back in the second dimension. He was on an important mission: rescuing Phineas and Ferb. They'd been captured by Norm-bots after Perry had left, despite the fact that they were supposed to be in government custody. Now they were being held in Doofenshmirtz's dungeon under Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated.

Perry could easily see the building from his current location, as it was the tallest building in alternate Danville, if not the entire tri-state area.

A patrol of Norm-bots glided past the trash can Perry was hiding in. As soon as they were gone, he hopped out and darted down the street. He wasn't too worried about Norm-bots. They were pretty stupid. As long as he kept his guard up and stayed focused, he could fight a good number of them at once.

Perry continued making his way to the ominous building, his eyes narrowed with determination and his hat placed firmly on his head. His fists clenched and unclenched. Perry was angry. He could not let anyone harm his boys.

Finally, he made it to the Doofenshmirtz Evil Incorporated base. This was the headquarters of Dr. Heinz Doofenshmirtz, the former ruler of the tri-state area. Perry kept his senses alert. This was definitely the most dangerous zone in Danville. He stayed in corners and against walls so as not to draw attention to himself, in case Doofenshmirtz was watching.

He decided that opening the door could set off alarms, so he waited for a patrol of Norm-bots to do it for him. They whirred past without noticing him. He easily slipped into the lobby before the door could close. Unfortunately, the lobby was filled with Norm-bots.

Perry's eyes widened as he dodged the first blast from the Norm-bot nearest the door. That drew the rest of the oppressive droids' attention. Perry ducked, jumped, twisted, flipped, and backtracked to avoid all the shots being taken at him. Somehow, he managed to make it across the room to the elevator. The doors slid open. Perry dashed in and pressed the button to close them before any Norm-bots could follow him in.

None of the Norm-bots made it into the elevator, but one of the laser beams did. Perry ducked and watched as the laser bounced around the elevator. Needless to say, the trip in the elevator was not relaxing like Perry had hoped and he was forced to keep on his toes the entire time.

Finally, the elevator reached the top floor of the main wing of the building. The doors opened allowing the laser to escape.

_Wait, why am I up here? The dungeons are in the basement! I must have accidentally pressed the top floor button out of habit._

Perry hit the button for the basement and the doors slid shut again, but not before he heard an evil cackle from inside the room. It echoed around inside the elevator. Perry glanced around nervously. His element of surprise was destroyed.

Suddenly the lights in the elevator flickered out and the elevator halted. Perry toppled over from his inertia. He pushed himself up and grabbed the rail to help pull himself to his feet. A trap door in the ceiling opened and a mechanical arm lowered a screen. It flickered on as Perry watched it nervously.

"Ah, _Perry the Platypus_," Second Dimension Doofenshmirtz said menacingly.

Perry crouched in a defensive stance and narrowed his eyes.

"How '_unpredictable_' of you," the evil dictator sneered. "And by 'unpredictable', I mean COMPLETELY PREDICTABLE! You're trapped, Perry the Platypus! Soon I will send General Platyborg down to fetch you and we can get started. This is going to be so much fun!"

The screen shut off and the mechanical arm pulled it back up through the trap door. The section of ceiling slid back into place.

_Fine, Send Platyborg! I don't plan on being here._

Perry knew that there was an escape hatch in the ceiling of most elevators, so he wasn't surprised when he found the framed hatch on the ceiling only a few feet from where the screen had been lowered. The tricky part was reaching it.

Perry climbed up onto the hand rail, hugging the wall. There was nothing to grip, so he couldn't scale the walls. He would have to jump. Despite the bad angle and the balance issues, Perry's secret agent training was able to help him jump high enough to touch the ceiling hatch.

Perry caught himself by wrapping the fingers of his left hand around the light. It creaked. The long plastic thing had dead bugs in it, but Perry was a secret agent. Dead bugs couldn't make him squeamish.

The case covering jerked and Perry realized that it wouldn't hold his weight for much longer. He pulled the handle on the hatch and swung his body to push it out with his tail. The plastic light case jerked again and Perry held on for dear life as it bobbed. Every tiny movement caused a cracking sound. Perry had pulled himself onto his elbows to get a better grip, and now he reached up to grab the edge of the hole. Before he could transfer his weight to his right hand, the plastic light covering broke off, clattering to the floor and leaving the two long tubes naked. Perry's fingers slipped as he swung. He reached up with his left hand as well and grabbed the edge before he could fall.

Perry pulled himself up on the roof of the elevator and closed the hatch. Platyborg could show up at any minute. He needed to get down to the basement. With the elevator out of order, he would have to climb down the shaft. Perry went over to the side of the elevator.

The shaft was pretty tight. There was barely enough room for Perry to squeeze into one of the grooves in the wall. On the up side, Platyborg wouldn't be able to fit with his bulky metal armor. Hopefully, that would slow him down enough for Perry to get a pretty good head start.

The tight fit was rubbing Perry's fur the wrong way. He reached the bottom of the elevator. He needed to get a grip on something. Somehow he needed to climb down to the basement. He pushed his legs against the side of the elevator and the base of his spine against the wall. His tail dangled into the bottomless drop. His legs were beginning to shake. He wasn't afraid of heights, but he knew that if he fell, he wouldn't be able to use his parachute in the small enclosed space.

There was a blasting sound from above him, like small jets. Then a clanking noise as _"it"_ landed.

Platyborg.

Perry held his breath. He glanced up nervously. He could hear Platyborg opening the ceiling hatch, then an angry, unnaturally metallic chatter.

Perry winced. The cyborg freaked him out. It was bad enough he was an evil cyborg, but the fact that it was his own counterpart… Perry shuddered.

Platyborg's mismatched face peered down the tight gap where Perry was hidden. His growl deepened with frustration that he couldn't reach his prey. His one, chocolate colored, organic eye glittered dangerously. Perry's matching pair widened.

Platyborg's face withdrew from the opening and Perry began to breath again, although still uneasily. He heard some clatter, then creaking and cracking. Then Platyborg returned with the plastic casing Perry had knocked off the light earlier, bent in half. He shoved it down the hole.

Perry panicked, thinking Platyborg meant to push him out to fall to his death, but right before the twisted plastic touched his head, Platyborg stopped pushing. That was when Perry realized what his actual intention was. Doofenshmirtz and Platyborg didn't want Perry dead. Now he was trapped, and Platyborg was coming from the other direction to capture him.

Time to get out. He pulled out his grappling hook out and released a short length of the chord. He passed it down to his cupped tail and started to whack the bottom of the elevator with it, hoping it would catch on something. When it did, Perry pulled tightly to keep the grip.

Slowly, he lowered himself. He didn't have anything to push against with his legs anymore. He pushed his back against the wall and held himself with his arms. To get out of this, he was going to have to trust his grappling hook. He felt with his tail one more time to make sure it was really secure, and slowly let himself drop.

Perry swung on the launcher. He heard metal scrapping as the grapple slid forward with his weight. His heart lurched as he prepared to fall at any moment, but the hook caught and he swung back. His tail brushed the wall. The hook slid around for a few more swings until it finally settled and Perry slowly came to a stop.

He began to spin in slow circles. He didn't usually use his grappling hook to lower himself, only to get up. He slowly pressed, keeping his finger firmly on the trigger, but not quite pushing it in. The chord began to release at a controlled pace. The length began to increase from one and a half feet, to two feet, to three feet…

Perry started releasing a little faster. Six feet, nine feet, twelve feet…

Bang!

Perry glanced up at the elevator doors along the far side of the shaft. The one nearest to the elevator had a new dent in it.

Bang! Bang!

Small metal fingers appeared in the gap. Platyborg was breaking through.

Perry began releasing quicker. Seventeen feet, twenty five feet, thirty six feet. The trigger was halfway in now.

CRASH! The elevator doors slammed open and Platyborg was silhouetted against the light. He extended his wings and dove after Perry. He caught up easily and slowed down to keep pace, glaring with his eye. Perry glared right back and swung into Platyborg, knocking him into the wall. Platyborg lost control of his flight and tumbled down the elevator shaft, bouncing off the walls.

Perry followed, now at almost free-fall speed. Even though he didn't want to deal with his evil counterpart anymore, he still needed to get to the bottom of the shaft. Suddenly, Platyborg was zooming up at him again. Perry passed him and watched as he fell away from Platyborg. Somehow, the cybernetic platypus had caught himself on one of the other doorways. He was hanging in the shaft above Perry again.

After a few seconds, Platyborg was out of sight. Perry's grappling hook ran out of give. He was jerked up and bounced a few times as he dangled. Looking down, Perry noted gratefully that the ground was only fifteen feet away. He regretted losing the grappling hook, but he had to get away before Platyborg caught up again.

He dropped down to the ground below, bending his knees to absorb the fall without breaking any bones. It still jarred him, but he recovered quickly and got to work opening the elevator doors.

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**Here we go. I hope this doesn't sound too stupid. I'm think I'm going to update every Saturday. I don't have anything else to say now.**

**The link to the picture that goes with this chapter is in my profile.**


	3. Chapter 3

There were a lot of cells, but Perry was able to find theirs eventually. The door had only a small barred window that Perry couldn't reach. He knocked.

"Hello?" called Phineas's voice; he sounded like he was on the verge of tears and down to the last teaspoons of hope.

Perry splayed his hands on the door to hold himself up as he collapsed, relieved that the boys were unhurt.

He chattered,_ Oh, thank goodness I found you guys! I was so upset when they told me you'd been captured. I'm going to get you out of there somehow. Just give me a second. I'm so glad you're okay!_

"Perry?" Phineas exclaimed. "What are _you_ doing here?"

_Uh, rescuing you? What else would I be doing? Giving you a telegram?_

"If you're here to rescue us, you can just leave. We don't need your help."

Perry's face fell. Something stabbed his heart. _W-what? But—_

"We've had you for over five years, Perry. We trusted you with everything. We told you all our secrets. We fed you, and gave you shelter, and loved you! We even cleaned out your litter-box! But all we were to you was a disguise, to be tossed away as soon as it was discovered. You don't need us, and we don't need you. You disgust me. You can just go."

_No, no! That—that's not true!_ Perry began to tremble as he tried to explain himself, although he knew the boys couldn't understand him._ You guys mean everything to me! Please! I didn't tell you because I wanted to protect you! Well, that, and I wasn't allowed to. They would've relocated me and I'd have never seen you again. Phineas, Ferb, I love you!_

"I said, 'You can just go.'" Phineas snarled through the door.

Perry felt his heart…"popping."

_Ferb, you understand, d-don't you? Please help Phineas see reason!_

Ferb didn't reply.

_Ferb?_

"You know, none of this would have happened if you had told us your secret, _Perry_," for once Ferb's quiet, soothing, British accent wasn't quiet or soothing. His words carried a venom more painful than Perry's own.

Perry backed away from the door to the other end of the hall. He felt queasy. His head felt empty. Then he straitened up, clenched his fists, narrowed his eyes, and tugged his hat into a firmer position on his head.

_NO. I did not come all the way here to leave you two to rot in a cell. I am getting you out of there to safety if it's the last thing I do, whether you like it, or not!_

Perry darted down the hall way to find the Norm-bot with the keys. He noted the lefts and rights he took as he charged through the maze.

There were almost no Norm-bots here. Strange, since they were holding prisoners likely to attract a secret agent's attention. The O.W.C.A.'s top secret agent at that; though, he was probably fired now.

Finally, he found the Norm-bot with the keys.

_Hey you! Tin can face! _Perry chattered.

The Norm-bot turned around. Perry smirked at it and dodged its blaster. Then he jumped on its head.

"Please get off so I can destroy you!" said the polite Norm voice.

_No, I don't think so._

The Norm-bot began to swerve around, trying to shake the platypus agent off its shoulders. Unfortunately—for the Norm-bot—the hallway was so narrow that it crashed into the wall.

Crunch!

Perry hopped off and turned to face his defeated opponent. It sparked a few times and then crashed to the ground.

Crash!

Perry slipped the keys off the hook on its waist and darted back down the hall to where his boys were. Fortunately, all the cells had the same lock, so he didn't have to try a million keys to find the right fit. The door unlocked with a loud clank and Perry pushed it open.

Phineas and Ferb were sitting next to each other on a small metal cot that was hanging from the wall. They both looked up when the door opened. Phineas's eyes were puffy and red from crying. Ferb's were half closed as if he were dreadfully bored. Both of them narrowed their eyes into glares when Perry walked in.

"I thought I told you to go away and leave us alone," Phineas snarled.

Perry looked at the two boys with a small frown on his face. He gestured to the door. Then he gave a little sigh.

_Look, I promise that I'll go live somewhere else and leave you alone, if that's what you want, just please, let me get you out of here. I can't let Alternate Doofenshmirtz hurt you._

The boys didn't move. Perry made pleading gestures and fell down on his knees to beg them. They still only looked at him with cold indifference. Finally, Perry padded further into the small room and grabbed their wrists and tried to drag them. He accidentally pulled Phineas off the bed and onto the ground. Phineas grunted and Perry rushed to his side and put his arm around the boy's shoulders to help him up, but Phineas just shrugged him off and climbed back on the bed.

The door clanged shut behind him. He spun around in shock. In the barred window, Perry could see the head of a Norm-bot. There was the sound of a wielder, and some melted metal spurted through the gap between the door and the frame. Then he heard the metallic chatter of Platyborg.

_Guard this cell. The platypus has a history of escaping. I'll come back and get him when Master is ready._

…

Perry was curled up in one corner of the cell while Phineas and Ferb huddled in the corner opposite, casting occasional glares in the direction of their depressed pet. He had tried to find some way out of the cell, but the only openings were the two windows, one on the door and one on the wall, both of which were barred. Perry couldn't fit himself between the bars, much less Phineas or Ferb. The boys refused to even try to help.

Finally, Perry had given up and decided to try to get some rest. When he'd tried to lie down with the boys on the metal cot, they had hopped off and crossed the room to get as far away from him as possible.

Instead of cuddling, like he was used to, Perry curled up in the cold, lonely corner. His hat lay on the ground a few feet away. He rested his head on his paws and used his tail to cover his side and protect it from the cold drafts that swept in and nipped at his bones. A tear rolled down his bill.

Suddenly, there was a commotion from the hallway. Perry's head shot up and he grabbed his hat instinctively. He darted cautiously to the door, prompting Phineas and Ferb to crawl back into the cot with cold glares in his direction. Now that he was in between the boys and the door, Perry began to back up. He crouched in the middle of the room, palms spread out and ready for action. His glare was hot enough to melt metal. Whether they hated him at the moment or not, no one was going to be allowed to hurt his boys.

A blow torch cut through the door, making a Norm-bot sized entrance. General Platyborg entered first, closely followed by two Norm-bots. Perry chattered angrily in warning. Platyborg stood stiffly between Perry and the door as his android soldiers advanced on the secret agent.

Perry waited until they were within inches of him before he struck. He leapt at the first robot's head and caused it to veer off and crush its brother against the wall of the chamber. Both droids crashed into useless piles of metal as Perry dropped back to the ground. He regained his defensive pose and glared at his doppelganger.

Platyborg took one step forward, his metal parts clanking at ever movement. Perry tensed his muscles. The duel began.

Platyborg's fist lunged straight for Perry's face, and he dodged the blow. He tried to throw his own punch, but Platyborg stepped back out of reach. Perry dodged some more blows and attempted to find an opening in Platyborg's defense, but he was covered in metal, and the only part of him that was unprotected by armor was his face.

One of Alternate Perry's blows connected with Perry's ribs and flung him across the room. He landed on his side, the wind temporarily knocked out of him. Platyborg took advantage of Perry being down, but the fully organic platypus had recovered and rolled out of the way as his half-robotic counterpart dove at him.

Perry jumped back to his feet and threw himself on top of Platyborg, pinning him to the ground. Unfortunately, he didn't see the metal covered tail Platyborg was swinging at his head.

Thunk!

Perry dropped to the ground, dazed again. Platyborg grabbed one of his arms and twisted it painfully behind his back. Perry grumbled in irritation and wriggled ferociously to break Platyborg's literal iron grip. The cybernetic platypus lifted Perry up by his twisted arm, and Perry clenched his jaw and grunted in pain.

Platyborg adjusted his grip on Perry so that the crooks of their elbows were linked together. Perry continued to struggle fiercely. He kicked at his conterpart's metal shins and threw his weight around as much as he could. He managed to get his feet firmly on the ground for long enough to push off and slam Platyborg into the cement wall, but Platyborg's metal armor protected him from getting the air knocked out of his lungs. He simply lifted Perry up off the floor and began to carry him.

As they exited through the hole in the door, Perry continued to growl and thrash. His tail lashed angrily back and forth, and he constantly let out small, trilling platypus grunts. He tried to throw his head back to hit Platyborg in the bill, but the robotic general just slammed him up against the wall.

_Knock it off,_ He growled through gritted teeth close to Perry's ear.

_Never! I'll never surrender! I can't let you hurt Phineas and Ferb! _Perry choked out in response. The edge of Platyborg's casing was digging into the side of his face and he was sure it was about to crack his skull.

Platyborg threw Perry on the ground again and placed his metal foot on the other monotreme's chest before he could get up. Perry vainly pushed against him anyway. He glared at his counterpart with narrowed eyes and bared teeth, a small snort of aggravation escaping his bill.

_If you come quietly I promise not to lay a finger on either of those boys. I won't let any of the Norm-bots hurt them either. I will even prevent Master Doofenshmirtz from harming them. _Platyborg calmly stared down at Perry.

Perry's eyes blazed defiantly as he responded. _How am I supposed to trust anything that spills out of_ your _dirty bill?_

_ I give you my word as your dimensional counterpart. I have never lied in my entire life. _Blunt honesty shone from Platyborg's one eyed glare.

Perry would give up his life if it meant that the boys wouldn't come to harm. He closed his eyes in defeat and whispered, _Fine._

**To Be Continued…**

* * *

**So, here's the next chapter. I'd better work on chapter 4.  
Xb**

**Oh yeah, and if anyone caught (or didn't catch) the reference to Meapless in Seattle, I apologize. I couldn't help it. XD**


	4. Chapter 4

_You promise that not a single hair on their heads will be harmed in any way? _Perry pestered Platyborg as he followed him down the twisting hallways of the dungeon toward the staircase.

_I'm not going to follow them around to make sure they don't trip on a rock and skin their knees. I swear that _I_ will not cause them physical harm, nor will the Norm-bots, nor Doofenshmirtz, _Platyborg said over his shoulder.

_ So you'll give them a free pass back to their dimension? And then, if you attack that dimension, you'll still do everything possible to keep them unhurt?_

Platyborg huffed in annoyance and responded, _I'm not going to become their nursery maid. If they can figure out how to get back to their dimension, then I won't stop them. When we attack your dimension, there will be nothing I can do to keep two children from getting hurt. That's the deal you'll have to live with._

Perry was silent as he continued following Platyborg. They reached the exit of the dungeon and began to ascend the stairs. Flight after flight, Perry continued to tromp in the footsteps of his counterpart. His shoulders slumped, and his posture clearly communicated exhaustion and defeat.

They finally arrived at the door to Doofenshmirtz's lab. There were two other wings of the building, the highest floor containing Doofenshmirtz's office, but the lab was in the equivalent place that Perry's dimension's DEI lab was: on the top floor of the main building.

Platyborg stood to one side of the door and watched as Perry entered. They shot loathing glares at each other. Perry stepped into the room and glanced around for the evil, one-eyed doctor. He extended all of his senses as far as he could, trying to find his nemesis's eviler doppelganger. There was no sign of him. He wasn't hiding in the corners or the shadows. The waiting was beginning to make Perry nervous, and being nervous made him angry.

His fists clenched and unclenched and he breathed through clenched teeth with his eyes narrowed and his teal fur standing on end. His wide, flat tail swished back and forth. He felt a tingle on his back telling him that Platyborg's half metal gaze was fixed on him from the doorframe.

Finally, a door on the other side of the dimly lit laboratory swung open, spilling light into the room and almost causing the edgy agent to jump out of his fur. Perry instinctively fell into a fighting position as Doofenshmirtz stepped in. Platyborg growled from behind him reminding him of his bargain. Apparently, he was considered enough of a threat that Platyborg didn't want to risk dealing with him rebelling, even with backup from Doofenshmirtz.

Perry straightened up with a grimace as pain tore through his heart at the thought of any harm coming to his boys. The eye-patched, black-lab-coat-wearing, goateed, evil scientist closed the door softly behind him and slowly strode across the room to examine his prize.

"Ah, Perry the Platypus. I'm so glad you could finally make it. Platyborg and I were just about to celebrate the Tri-state Area's second downfall; my Norm-bots cut off all transportation, communication, and connection to the outside after arresting the mayor only ten minutes ago." Doofenshmirtz's evil grin widened. He pulled a small controller out of his lab coat and pressed its single button. "Would you like to _join us_?"

Metal arms burst from the walls and grabbed Perry's limbs and lifting him off the ground before he could respond.

Doof began to walk toward him, brandishing something in his hands; a syringe labeled: _sedative_.

"Now, we can do this the easy way," he held up the syringe. Then he lowered it and returned his gaze to Perry. "Or the fun way."

Perry didn't move a muscle.

The evil scientist frowned in disappointment. "Oh, so you want the easy way? Fine! Be boring like that." He held up the needle again. Then he gave Perry a sideways glance and a small, evil grin. "I guess we'll get some real entertainment soon anyway. Won't it be so deliciously ironic when you destroy the very people you came here to protect?"

Perry felt like a bolt of lightning had just run up his spine as he realized what Doofenshmirtz was implying. It wasn't Platyborg who would be hurting Phineas and Ferb. It wasn't Doof or his Norm-bots. Platyborg had specified his promise to create a loophole. Once Doofenshmirtz had turned him into a cyborg servant, he wouldn't be able to keep _himself_ from harming them.

His eyes widened. Blood rushed in his ears and a fire flashed before his vision. Before he knew quite what was happening, he found himself across the room, flailing violently under Platyborg.

Somehow, he'd managed to escape the mechanical arms, which were now dangling uselessly from the ceiling like dead snakes, and attempt to attack Doofenshmirtz. Platyborg had intervened before he could lay a finger on his master, and now they were wrestling.

Perry's brain finally caught up to real time, and he pushed Platyborg's metal belly away with his hind legs. The cybernetic platypus thudded to the ground, giving Perry just enough time to get to his feet in a fighting stance.

He threw a punch. Platyborg dodged and spun, attacking with his spiked tail. Perry stepped back to keep from getting gutted and swung his left fist at Platyborg again. His counterpart caught his fist and pulled it down across his right side.

Perry was yanked to his knees and then rolled over onto his back. Platyborg held him down his with metal foot to Perry's chest and then grabbed his locket from under his fur and lifted him up.

Perry pried at the metal fingers, but they didn't loosen. He kicked and squirmed and grunted and growled.

Platyborg slammed him up against the wall, knocking the breath out of him. BAM! BAM! BAM! Platyborg continued to pound Perry into the wall as if he were trying to knock it down. Pain exploded through his whole body. The entire world began wobbling like a ship caught in a hurricane.

Platyborg presented his master with the limp body of his counterpart, dangling from his left hand like a wet paper sack.

"Very nice, Platyborg," Doofenshmirtz said, stepping out of the shadows. He shoved a handful of popcorn in his mouth and tossed the empty theater tub over his shoulder.

Perry was breathing hard, trying to recover from the fight. His head hurt, and he thought it might be bleeding. He made another struggle to free himself, but he was completely exhausted and his counterpart didn't even budge a millimeter. As the back of his head throbbed, Perry felt his focus grow fuzzy and recognized that he was losing consciousness.

_NO!_ He could not give in. He had to keep fighting, even if it killed him. It would be preferable to submitting if it did.

Perry forced his heavy eyelids apart and huffed angrily up at the black clad scientist. He stared back.

"Put him in the machine."

* * *

_**GETTHEMAWAYFROMME! **_**Oh, sorry. That's me. Continue...**

* * *

Perry wasn't sure what was happening anymore… but it was awful. There were metal worms everywhere, and they all had sharp teeth. They were eating him alive. He thrashed and fought them off, but there were too many of them. They were under him, over him, and wrapped around him. Red covered his vision. He was suffocating, and then drowning.

His head reeled and felt lighter than a feather. He didn't know where he was anymore. It was dark. There were arms wrapped around him, but they weren't metal restraints or surgical instruments anymore. They were warm loving arms that pulled him into a soft embrace against a chest.

He heard a heartbeat. Three heartbeats. One was his own; the other two belonged to Phineas and Ferb. All three of their hearts beat in sync. Perry's breathing calmed. He was still blind, but he could tell who was holding him. He breathed in the soft scents of his family and relaxed. In exhaustion, he felt himself drop into a deeper sleep.

It felt like hours later. Perry felt disconnected from his body. He couldn't even feel himself breathing. He wondered briefly if he were dead. His mind set out in search of his body, finding it one piece at a time.

Right eye, tightly shut… where was his left eye? It felt open, but he couldn't see anything.

Right forepaw, resting on cold metal. Left forepaw… nothing.

Suddenly the vacuum in his lungs filled up and air rushed in through his nose, there was his bill…

He coughed and clenched his teeth. His mouth felt weird and tasted tingly and bitter. It was all numb he couldn't move his tongue, as if his mouth was packed with cotton balls.

"You're almost finished, Perry the other Platyborg! The only thing left to do is the programming!"

Perry's right eye snapped open. He was lying on his back on a conveyor belt that had exited the big machine. He was covered in metal and wires, and he couldn't move a single muscle below his neck. He couldn't even turn his head.

Perry growled at Doofenshmirtz, but he couldn't see him. The only thing he could see to his left was metal. He assumed it was a mechanical eye like his counterpart had. Based on what he could tell, he was now identical to his doppelganger, although he didn't have metal armor.

"I think I'll call you 'Lieutenant General Platyborg', to differentiate between you and _General_ Platyborg. Or maybe just 'Lieutenant Platyborg;' It's less of a mouthful."

Suddenly, Doofenshmirtz's face leered over Perry and he winced in surprise. He quickly turned his look of surprise into a scowl. Outwardly, Perry showed no sign of panic, but inwardly was he despairing. He was completely paralyzed with no hope of escape.

Doofenshmirtz hummed a silly tune while he fiddled with something underneath the defunct platypus. He couldn't feel anything as Doof started connecting plugs to the wires that were now replacing what he'd previously considered to be vital organs. It was disconcerting and nauseating.

Doofenshimrtz finished whatever he was doing with the wires and started fiddling with controls. Perry clenched his teeth, not knowing what to expect. Suddenly a shudder ran down his spine. His left eye was suddenly filled with light. The images of his surroundings were annotated. Then he realized he was sitting up. He could move.

He instantly prepared to attack Doofenshmirtz, but just as he was about to leap, the robotic parts of his body froze up again causing him to stand straight and at attention. A loading bar appeared in his robotic vision and a female voice spoke in his head.

"Programming four percent completed."

His posture collapsed and he found himself on his hands and knees. It felt like all of his energy had been sucked up a straw. A small squeak escaped his throat, like two pieces of metal being rubbed together. Doof looked up from his controls at the sound.

"Oh, don't cry, Perry the other Platyborg. You might get all rusty like the tin woodsman in the _Wizard of Oz_!" He chuckled cruelly.

Perry growled at him again. The world started spinning and shaking, and Perry felt his senses go fuzzy again.

"Programming 45 percent complete.

"Programming 57 percent complete.

"Programming 77 percent complete,"

It felt like someone had spilled a glass of ice water inside his brain. He fell on his face and grimaced. He clawed at the ground.

"Programming 83 percent complete.

"Programming 99 percent complete."

Perry let out one final sob…

**To Be Continued…**


End file.
